Recently I learned from my friend, Mike, who lives in the State of Alabama, that a friend of his who just returned from a tour in Iraq, committed suicide...
Even though he was a stranger to me, I am saddened by his death. Surely it is exceedingly tragic when a person ends his life, let alone a soldier who was in his prime. He left behind a devastated family and a promising future.
Suicide, I believe, is always a victory for Satan. I do not, however, believe that someone who takes his life goes to hell. I've known several Christians whom, as inexplicable as it seems, lost their hope and chose to kill themselves. And I can say with confidence that in the Lord there is always hope no matter how hard life gets at times. For the darkness of the moment could vanish tomorrow. But I suppose, too, that when a person is in deep despair, it is easy to think that those gray clouds of depression will never go away.
So when I wrote back to my friend, I told him how sorry I was to learn of his needless loss. Yet this incident strongly reminded me to pray for our nation's military personnel. Oftentimes we're guilty of not showing the appreciation due them for serving our country. They need our prayers and support.
Furthermore, the members of the military often return home to a world that's changed a lot, even in the space of the months or years they've been gone. Yes, many times a service person comes home to find that his job was given to someone else, or a spouse has left him for someone else. Frankly, the era of the "John Wayne" mystique where soldiers, sailors and airmen come back to cheering crowds and warm welcomes, is long gone.
In our present age of ingratitude and selfishness, those who've put their lives on the line, who've left their families behind for awhile in order to help defend America, find themselves returning to a mostly indifferent world. No wonder, then, that suicide rates among veterans is at record levels.
So may I state my opinion that it is the humble duty of the Church to show the men and women of the military the love and kindness of our God. And it is the responsibility of the body of Christ to assist those who are in the service, and their immediate families, with their spiritual needs. The Church should help them in any way possible. It's simply the right thing to do.
D.B.
Suicide, I believe, is always a victory for Satan. I do not, however, believe that someone who takes his life goes to hell. I've known several Christians whom, as inexplicable as it seems, lost their hope and chose to kill themselves. And I can say with confidence that in the Lord there is always hope no matter how hard life gets at times. For the darkness of the moment could vanish tomorrow. But I suppose, too, that when a person is in deep despair, it is easy to think that those gray clouds of depression will never go away.
So when I wrote back to my friend, I told him how sorry I was to learn of his needless loss. Yet this incident strongly reminded me to pray for our nation's military personnel. Oftentimes we're guilty of not showing the appreciation due them for serving our country. They need our prayers and support.
Furthermore, the members of the military often return home to a world that's changed a lot, even in the space of the months or years they've been gone. Yes, many times a service person comes home to find that his job was given to someone else, or a spouse has left him for someone else. Frankly, the era of the "John Wayne" mystique where soldiers, sailors and airmen come back to cheering crowds and warm welcomes, is long gone.
In our present age of ingratitude and selfishness, those who've put their lives on the line, who've left their families behind for awhile in order to help defend America, find themselves returning to a mostly indifferent world. No wonder, then, that suicide rates among veterans is at record levels.
So may I state my opinion that it is the humble duty of the Church to show the men and women of the military the love and kindness of our God. And it is the responsibility of the body of Christ to assist those who are in the service, and their immediate families, with their spiritual needs. The Church should help them in any way possible. It's simply the right thing to do.
D.B.
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